Photo by Danilo Batista on Unsplash

A sense of humour is the ability to see the funny side of things and revel in the experience. Enjoy the moment.  Different people and cultures may find different things funny. RK Laxman’s Common Man and You Said It cartoons published daily in the Times of India did it for me.  The subtle digs at our socio-political system with its antics and posturing’s and travails hit home. The entertaining wordplay in the Amul ads had a charm of their own. Chuckling through the Life’s Like That and Laughter is the Best Medicine features in the Reader’s Digest became a monthly dose of humour. Moving on to the witty metaphors and quirky humour in the PG Wodehouse novels. It helped that many amongst friends and family were already on the same bandwagon.

Comedy films have a lasting and refreshing impact. Be it the vintage Modern Times with Charlie Chaplin or the Hindi film classics like Padosan, Chupke-Chupke, Angoor, Golmaal  or Hera Pheri. One can watch these movies again and again and still laugh out loud at familiar scenes. This is the effervescent power of humour. Recently, I viewed on YouTube filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi relive the making of Andaz Apna Apna which has now acquired cult status. One couldn’t help but laugh with the Director as he laughingly narrated what craziness transpired behind the scenes.  During Covid times in 2021 the rollicking Telugu film in a similar genre, Jathi Ratnalu, captured an all-India audience on the OTT space. As did the Tamil comedy-drama-political satire Mandela.

A book called The Wit of Cricket delightfully revealed that the game has so much more to offer than statistics and records  and trophies and controversies. At the Headingly Test in 1952 the Indian team were in dire straits- losing 4 wickets for no runs in the second innings. Fiery Fred Truman was bowling to the hapless batsman. He beat him with sheer pace and then hit him on the shoulder. The 5^th ball of the over then found the sensitive spot-you know where- the box guard. The batter collapsed to the ground in pain. After a few minutes he got up to face the next delivery. The commentator dryly remarked, “Good Man. One ball left.”

Humour in the work-place.  A great way to alleviate stress, make work enjoyable and build camaraderie. As a fresher and trainee at National Insurance Company Ltd in 1981 I went through one of the first issues of the Company magazine. The last page caught my eye as it referred to the Funny Side of It. Capturing some of the amusing reasons given by customers in a claim form after a motor vehicle accident. One said, “the only and immediate reason for the accident was a small man in a medium car with a big mouth.” Years later with the newly formed Bajaj Allianz General Insurance I was at the meeting hall of a Corporate Finance Company with whom we had signed a tie-up. The senior Manager- probably struggling with the word Allianz- introduced me as “He… is … Alien.” There was laughter for many, many minutes. But then I had the opportunity to make an informal pitch to a receptive group, happy to hear from an extra-terrestrial.

Even at official conferences and presentations light-hearted wit often wins the day. A friend of mine who is an Actuary told me about a conference he had attended in London. One of the main speakers projected his PPT on screen. It introduced him as say, John Woods, MA FIA (Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries). This brought the roof down and as the laughter subsided, he dryly remarked that there was actually little difference between the MAFIA and Actuaries. The latter estimated the number of mortalities in an area whilst the Mob actually decided who would depart. A rapt audience listened to a 60 minute presentation on a dry subject like Data Analytics as it was peppered with some more amusing anecdotes.

Even serious messages have more impact and recall value when packaged in ironic terms. Like some Indian Road signs, ‘Better be late than Mr Late’ and ‘This is a Highway, not a Runaway.’

We have the 5 senses and Intuition or Instinct is at times referred to as the sixth-sense. Some psychologists have characterised Humour as the 7^th Sense whilst many others refer to it as a character trait or virtue. Empirical research has supported the fact that a person with a good sense of humour will be in a better position to handle difficult times, enjoy more cohesive relationships and benefit from more positive mental and physical health. The singular attribute is the relief from stress and worry with laughter serving the function of a steam pressure valve. The muscular and breathing process connected with laughter plays the role of releasing pent-up anxiety and frustration.

Hence the ever increasing popularity of Late Night shows, Stand Up comedy acts, Laughter clubs and comic memes on social media. All for the good.  However, there is an unseemly and even toxic side to this trove of laughs and guffaws. Double meaning dialogues in films and plays have an audience of their own. But a definite line should be drawn at Misogynist, Racist or Community offensive joke and even where the unfair stereotyping  of a people is perpetuated.  They are not only in bad taste but can spell trouble. Sarcasm is oft called a wasted form of wit. Churchill revelled in it and once famously called out a political opponent, “There, but for the grace of God, goes God.”

 One wishes that our political leaders hold back on vitriol and invective and resort to wit and humorous repartee. The political scenario in the US of A today is vituperative. But our Netas can take heed from Ronald Reagan who was targeted for his age during his re-election bid, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponents youth and inexperience.” He won his second Presidency term.

In conclusion one has to be careful if the gags and jokes are at someone else’s expense.  The warm, fun quotient goes out of it if it becomes a barb to hurt another’s feelings or identity. But self-deprecating humour helps in navigating situations – even sensitive ones- and fostering rapport. If one can laugh at oneself and not take oneself too seriously, life tends to become simpler and smoother. It  feels like some tiresome  burden has been removed. Lighten up and let the laughs roll and the smiles spread.